There is a recognized need for promptly providing appropriate notification to cognizant entities in the event of the occurrence of emergency or precautionary situations. The now familiar 911 telephone service has evolved in response to the emergency aspect of that need. Other alarm systems utilizing the public switched telephone network have been proposed as exemplified by the following illustrative examples:
Wagner U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,350 describes a personal alarm apparatus capable of being worn in the form of a wristwatch for transmitting a radio frequency alarm signal to actuate a relay station in the customer's home. The relay station is connected to a telephone and upon actuation dials a sequence of telephone numbers and delivers a recorded message. Each transmitter is associated with a relay base unit which contains EPROMs which store a series of different telephone numbers in addition to a recorded voice message. The voice message can be altered. A microprocessor compares the code of the transmitter with the stored code, identifies the subscriber, and retrieves from the EPROM the appropriate telephone number to be dialed as well as the message to be transmitted. The transmitter and relay station are provided as customer premise equipment.
An advertisement in Popular Science, June 1982, entitled "Zap Your Mom", describes a table mount module associated with a telephone to automatically dial four emergency numbers and give an emergency message at the press of a button. The device is triggered either by a button on the module itself or by a button on a small pager unit adapted to be worn. The message is reproduced from a solid state voice synthesized integrated circuit and may state, for example, "Emergency. Help needed at ***-****." The unit repeats the phone number of the calling party. This device is intended to alert police, fire departments and paramedics. It is also stated that other of the emergency numbers may be close relatives or a neighbor for the purpose of rendering immediate assistance while the emergency vehicles are on the way.
Jones et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,252 discloses a small portable transmitter which is activated in case of an emergency to either notify the warden of a prison or to call a preprogrammed number through actuation of an auto-dialer.
Phillipps U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,902 describes an alarm module having a "HELP" button which is activated in case of an emergency to effect automatic seizing of a line and dialing through an auto-dialer. The background of the invention described in this patent describes other devices of a similar nature.
Birille et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,698 describes an alarm system utilizing a radio transmitter in conjunction with a receiver to remotely dial a number and deliver a recorded message. The background of the invention description in this patent also references a series of patents disclosing similar systems.
Moore U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,344 discloses a health care communicator wherein a patient pushes a button on a hand held remote control to cause automatic dialing at a console unit and delivery of a prerecorded message.
LaWhite et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,970 describes a wristwatch or neck pendant radio transmitter for actuating a telephone emergency alarm. The radio signal actuates a residential telephone for sending an alarm to a central station in response to actuation of a switch or a call button.
Carlson et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,100 describes a portable radio transmitter having a distress button. Depressing the button signals a radio receiver which causes auto-dialing of a telephone a delivery of an emergency signal such as a tone.